I ordered a plug which I want to use as a 24/7 (web)server and I want to attach a USB drive,so I can access my files from anywhere. I want to buy a new USB drive for this purpose, becauseI need my other one for other things .

So I'd like to ask which USB drives you would recommend for that purpose. It should not use toomuch power, not get too hot, and it should be robust enough for 24/7 usage.

I would suggest getting a cheap external enclosure and selecting the 2.5" drive of your choice. I've had good luck with inexpensive enclosures. for example you could select an e-sata compatible enclosure if you think you might want to attach it to another computer at a higher data rate.

newegg has a huge selection of 2.5" drives. For your application it sounds like you'd probably want to lean more to low-power -vs- performance. I've got a 320G 7200RPM Seagate in one of my notebooks that works pretty well.

I have experience with Seagate and Lacie external hard drives. I like the Seagates because they automatically spin down after about 10 mins of inactivity, saving power, generating less heat and longer lifespan. The Lacie didn't spin down ever, so I sold it (got way too hot for my liking also).

I also have used a 3.5" hard drive inside an external enclosure, but I didn't like it. Too hot and resonates a lot, very annoying.

mostly because it was what I had lying around and not tied up on some other project. It runs quite cool, even though I don't think it spins down (but then I might be mistaken). I like the fact that it doesn't require a separate power cable. I am using a powered hub, though. Comes with a 3 yr warrantee.

The 5400 RPM might be a show stopper for some folks, but I question the advantage of a fast RPM drive in a USB environment.

Right now I have a seagate extreme 1 tb, but I do not like the fact that you cannotuse it via USB and eSata simultaniously. I need to use this drive with my laptop viaeSata and so I can not use it for the plug, at least not fulltime.

That's why I want to buy a new one, but maybe I'll get a seagate again

I never tried external enclosures... Would you prefer them over a usual external drivefor my intended purpose?

I have experience with Seagate and Lacie external hard drives. I like the Seagates because they automatically spin down after about 10 mins of inactivity, saving power, generating less heat and longer lifespan. The Lacie didn't spin down ever, so I sold it (got way too hot for my liking also).

Joost

using the command "hdparm" you can set this and many other power saving options....install with $ sudo apt-get install hdparm and see $ man hdparm

I'm going to try using a 128GB (yes, G not M) USB SSD/flash thumb drive for my app/server. I already minimise traffic to bulk storage in in existing system with several layers of cacheing, and so, for example, bandwidth should not be a critical issue.

I'm going this route to minimise power consumption.

However, I haven't done it yet. Still too chicken even to load up a new kernel: hacker's block and fear of the bricked device!

Even if you brick it, you should be able to get back up and running using the Installer package. It was just updated today and now also runs in Windows as well as Linux. Check the u-boot section of the forum for info and the download section of plugcomputer.org to get started.

So I guess that I'll have to get my x86 Linux system set up to unbrick the plug, though in the longer run the aim is to replace the x86 box with the plug, so it's not something I especially want to have to rely on...

Depending on how your mac is configured, you could always boot from an Ubuntu LiveCD and run the process that way. I haven't tried it on my MacBook Pro yet, but I also bet you could install Linux in a virtual machine within Virtualbox and get it to work that way too.

Both Ubuntu and Virtualbox are free as in beer so no real monetary cost.

I have run the alpha-6 installer from my Ubuntu box at work but haven't tried the new 1.0 installer from Windows yet. I may try natively on Windows and virtually on my Mac. Only difference is I am running VM Fusion instead of Virtual Box, but I guess I could install that as well. There goes my weekend...

I recommend Western Digital My Passport Essential. Very silent, especially if you have some old mousepad underneath it to remove the resonance due to moving parts. Works great with belkin active usb hub..